D. Young Will Not Be Ready for Start of Season

As anticipated, Phillies outfielder Delmon Young will not be ready for the start of the season and will miss “a while” according to Charlie Manuel. On the bright side, Young reported to camp 30 lbs lighter according to John Clark of NBC 10 but comes to camp without any expectation of when he expects to play according to Ryan Lawrence. Young’s absence creates an opportunity for another outfielder to receive significant playing time to start the year in 2013.

36 Comments

I read where Young said he doesn’t have a “clue” when he’ll be ok’d by the docs. I wish someone would pay me $750,000 to not have a clue. Normally I just do that for free.

Seriously, How can you not ask for a “window” or an “estimate” from the doctor. When I’ve had surgery I sure did. No one expects medical science to be perfect, every living being is different and they all heal differently. But nothing?, no time frame at all? Delmon Young would have insisted on at least that if he’s any kind of competitor. Not a clue? C’mon.

Did he not have a physical. I would think the doctor should have a good idea when he would be recovered. I think it’s possible that he wanted a contract and said all the right things. I mean, going from being ready to go in February to who knows when. Come on.

Doctors only give time frames, like 2-4 weeks, 6-8 weeks, etc. That’s not very definite.

I had a doctor once tell me my broken wrist would take 6-8 weeks but it took 6 months before the cast could be removed, after which I had to wear a brace for another month. My kidney surgery was supposed to keep me sub-normal for about 3 months, but I was engaging in my usual routine after about 7 weeks. That’s how much of a clue doctors have, so I wouldn’t expect Young to know more.

Also, if he did give the press a time frame and had complications, everyone would be all over him. He’s got a bad enough reputation already, and if fans figured he was slacking, he’d be run out of town on a rail.

I agree that doctors don’t really know, and said so above. So just give us the “time frame” set by the doctor instead of saying “I don’t have a clue”, that’s just dumb. If the doctor is wrong that wouldn’t make me think less of Delmon Young, it doesn’t make him wrong.

I realize that not many people think much of Young now, but I think they should at least see him play here first, sometimes guys find new life by changing teams, it’s not impossible. But even the doubters shouldn’t blame Young for a doctor’s estimate being wrong, should they? The Ryan Howard infection delay is a great example, I don’t think anyone blamed Howard. (well, maybe besides our resident broken record, but that’s to be expected)

I also blame the media for not digging deeper, they should not accept such a lame answer.

I agree that a doctor’s mistaken estimate shouldn’t cause adverse fan reaction, but experience tells me it will. Chase Utley, for instance, has been castigated frequently for not being ready when he gave fans the idea he might be, and he actually had a good reputation to begin with. Howard wasn’t blamed for anything because no one really expected an early return.

While I’ll agree that “no clue” is a shallow answer, I don’t think it’s any more silly than some of the other things ball players say. I also know that the type of surgery Young had isn’t very predictible, and the timeframe may be very vague.

I just thought you were being a little harsh on a guy who’s never been known to say intelligent things, and I’m glad to see you are one of those few people who say “see him play here first.” That’s a much more reasonable approach than so many others are taking.

As far as my own health goes, thanks for your consideration. All I have to worry about now is feeling guilty should a relative need a kidney transplant. Obviously, it’d be too dangerous to donate the only one I have left.

my neurologist told me that after further review that i might not ever function normally . i was devastated! i asked him for a time frame to normality and if it doesn’t happen will i be able to play the piano. he said i don’t see why not. why do you ask? i said cause i never could play the piano. just saying. and just kiddin. happy saturday to all. lol

I think this is a good opportunity to give Dom chance number 4 in right field and have Ruf try his hand at left. I haven’t been too hot on the Delmon Young signing (and I know no one who has), and this could be an opportunity to find out if we just signed a half-decent bat off the bench for less than $1m, once he’s healthy. I think Mayberry is a sufficient fall back if Ruf doesn’t pan out in left, and both of them can spell a day off here and there for Howard against a lefty.

Aside from the silliness of signing a guy who has played right field zero times since 2007 to be our starting right fielder, this doesn’t seem to be a huge problem for the Phils. If nothing else, it gives some of the other guys a chance to shine, and the Phillies aren’t actually losing anything proven.

This is why Amaro structured the deal the way he did. If Young does not play it was a minor (for MLB) investment. If he does and Charlie keeps him in the lineup he gets paid more. But let’s not forget – whatever his fielding issues – D. Young can hit.

That is a good pick by Ruben.
If he was healthy he’d be playing and suck.
After all the lost time from injuries to star players like Utley and Howard it was nice of Ruben to stock the team with players who nobody will miss for a second.

I get the impression that some here are somewhat surprised that Delmon Young is not physically fit to play this Spring. I read the newspaper and a few websites on the internet for my source of info and It’s old news here about Young’s slow recovery from off season surgery on his foot. Some basball writers were of the the opinion that Young’s weight problem (which does not help the healing process) and slow recovery from surgery would put him on the 15 day disabled list fior to season opener.

That can be a blessing in disguise (smile) by giving Ruf and Brown more playing time in exhibition games to get the fundamentals down pat in fielding and hitting.

Mike R – Why would you want that? That’s like a guarantee that he gets a roster spot on the DL without ever having seen him play. I’d rather he be healthy sooner, and if he’s not good enough they can cut bait before going north.

IMO- There are plenty of ST games, split squads etc. for D Brown to prove himself whether D Young is on the field or not.

I’m with Mike R on this one. I don’t want a hot streak (or cold streak) in 30 ST games to be a determining factor one way or the other. I am concerned that Young will play as well (sic) as he has the past two years, and that will be viewed as good enough for him to start.

I’m with schmenkman and Mike R…when a GM signs a guy who has produced .267 / .298 / .403 in 1,100+ PA’s over the past two seasons, you have to assume that he’s pretty much expecting similar production and hoping for better. If Young gets healthy relatively soon and is ready at some point in April, we could very well see the Phils pay $3.5M to a poor fielding, poor base running corner OF with a WRC+ of ~90.

Mike R said –
“I normally don’ t want Phils players to endure long rehab,but please let D. Young not be ready to play long enough for Dom Brown to nail down the right-field job.”

I’d caution that you yield to the old saying, “be careful what you wish for”.

Whether you realize it or not, the three of you are implying that you would rather just give an automatic spot on the roster (on the DL) to Delmon Young -sight unseen-, just so that you can see Dom Brown play with less competition in ST. Seriously? Why? Is Brown’s ego that fragile? And why is it assumed that Dominic Brown would not get a job if Young played well anyway? Brown’s a lefty and Young’s a righty. If anything, they are being smart not taking the chance that Darin Ruf’s outlier of a season last year is likely to repeat. (although I sure hope it does.)

The team did not sign the free agent Young to cut him without even seeing him play. They will KEEP him around and send someone else down when he is ready. ( April, May, June?) Wouldn’t it be better to have that happen in ST when there is at least a chance that Young would not measure up? They could do the same as they did to last year with Dontrelle Willis, a guy they picked up and gave an incentive laden contract that could have paid him well- and then let him go for a paltry 139,000 termination fee. They tried Luis Castillo the year before, he didn’t cut the mustard, and they said see you later to him too. If you believe D. Young is that bad, what’s the problem?

OR…. Maybe Delmon Young could actually help the club if he plays at the correct weight and keeps himself in shape, it’s not impossible.

None of this matters anyway, because Young’s goofy doctor won’t even give the public a window of when he”ll be ready, they said he’d likely start on the DL so your wish will most likely be granted anyway.

We already know Young will not be ready for the opener. If he was playing in ST, I would be concerned that a short ST streak would be used to make a roster decision. But as it is, the only question now is how far into the regular season he comes back.

The fear (my fear at least) whenever Young returns is that
a) Brown plays as well or better than Young but Young’s AVG-HR-RBI stats look better and he gets more playing time
b) Young’s stats don’t look very good but he gets more playing time anyway because Amaro/Manuel prefer veterans and they continue hoping he might duplicate his one good season.

I want Brown to get a real shot because his upside, in terms of value for money, is so much greater than Young’s. If Young is successful, he costs $3.5 M this year, and becomes a FA costing $5-10 M+ in 2014-on.

If Brown is successful, the Phillies have an effective, cheap, controllable outfielder for several years.

I understand that part, but why is it Brown v Young when they hit from different sides of the plate? Why isn’t it Ruf v Young?

Has RA Jr. or Manuel made some statement that i missed? Didn’t Brown spend much of the last two years learning to play left field just for a situation like this? I don’t get why Brown is threatened in this situation at all? The last I read Ruf was really not too good in the OF anyway because it’s not his natural position.

Brown, Revere, D Young- seems like the logical combination if they are committed to Young. IMO- The only question is can Ruf overtake Nix?

What I’ve heard so far is this:
– Manuel repeatedly saying how much he likes Ruf’s bat.
– Amaro saying that in a “perfect world” Young is the starting RFer
– Amaro and Manuel repeatedly downplaying Brown’s role, or not mentioning him at all when discussing the outfield.

Now all of that may be simply to downplay the focus and expectations from Brown, since many among the fans and the media inexplicably already seem to have Brown fatigue and are ready to move on to other options. I hope that’s the case.

Schmenkman, I think you are underestimating the Phils management when you have fears that Young will get more playing time even if he stinks. Favoring veterans has its limits, and contracts full of playing time incentives are more likely than other contracts to be terminated. (That way, a so-so player can’t bilk the club for too much loot.) Young will get a chance, for sure, but with his past weight and attitude issues he’ll most likely be on a pretty short leash.

If Young stinks, that sort of ruins Amaro’s “perfect world.” He’s already hedging his bets, because no one has ever said there is such a thing as perfect unless they’re talking about God (and even then you might get an argument). At that point, I think Ruben will be exploring the “imperfect world” of Brown or Ruf.

George I agree, In other words, I think sometimes that people get caught up in “Ibanez-Polanco fear syndrome” (yeah, I just made that up)

The point being- yes the management of this club did keep throwing Ibanez out there every day despite his poor performance due in part, to the large lengthy contract they signed him to. Same for Polanco on a lesser scale (he actually had defensive value)

The team just seemed bound and determined to get their money’s worth, squeeze every penny out of their investment.

IMO- this is completely different. Without a long term high salary commitment, there is no chance they keep starting this guy out there every day if he stinks up the joint.

Personally, I hope he proves them right and performs great. I don’t care WHICH players help the Phils win a championship, I just want another one.

@Schmenkman- If I’m reading correctly, (I think I have this right) Brown could be eligible for his first Arb year next year, so the cost control may be shorter than you think.

It’s not Young stinking up the joint in an obvious way (e.g. posting a .150 / .225 / .300 line) that has (others and) me concerned. It’s the fear that Charlie will keep starting Young if he performs like he has the past 2 seasons (.267 / .298 / .403). That type of performance should be unacceptable from a corner OF who is a poor fielder and a poor base runner, but they seem committed to finding out whether his 2010 season is more indicative of his future potential than are the 1,100 PA’s he accumulated in 2011 and 2012.

My gut feeling is that Delmon Young will basically be a non-factor. So we all need to stop getting our panties up in a bunch about. Can everyone pleeeeaase just let this thing play out…and, yeah….have a bit more faith that the RIGHT decisions will be made when it comes time to make them.

If I’m Domonic Brown and Darin Ruf….especially Brown, since he’s presumably at that “make it or break it” point….I’m doing EVERYTHING I can to play my way into that starting lineup and not relinquishing that spot. Make them HAVE to play you.